Two For The Price of One
by Cateyes224
Summary: Snart begins to worry about his own mental health. He has thoughts that are not his own and finds himself in places he doesn't remember going to. When he tries to force Lance to fly the Waverider to another time, the others begin to unravel the mystery of his strange behavior.
1. Chapter 1

The mission had gone to hell. It should have been an easy snatch and grab, at least that was what they thought. When Leonard Snart and Mick Rory had left the science lab with the only sample of whatever it was, something he couldn't even pronounce, shots were fired. Someone had been waiting for them to come out. It was dark, and they were hunched down, trying to figure out how many shooters there were. One bullet hit the brick wall over Snart's right shoulder. Another hit a plant, close to Mick's left arm.

"Either they're using the same type of gun, or we only have one shooter," Len guessed.

"Take the sample with you, I'll try to go 'round and draw their fire," Mick growled, just loud enough for Len to hear. "Meet you back at the ship."

Len didn't like it, but he agreed it was their only option. "Try not to get yourself killed. It doesn't look good on my resume."

"On three . . .one, two, three," Mick counted. They separated. Len went right and Mick went left.

They were supposed to break in, grab it, and sneak away before anyone knew. The drug was dangerous, deadly in fact, and later to be used by Savage against a group of dissidents in 2043. They were in 2040, stealing the first batch, before it could be perfected into a silent killer.

Mick ran low and fired at the target across the street. The shooter fired back at Mick, while Leonard quietly slipped away to his right, low along the building, trying to stay in the shadows. When he got to the edge of the building, he followed it around, and took off at a full run. He was worried a about Mick, but he was still hearing gun shots, that meant that Mick was still exchanging rounds with the shooter. With any luck, they would be meeting up shortly.

* * *

On the roof top, just downs the street, he had been watching the whole thing. In fact, he had been watching from the beginning. He felt, or rather sensed, the ship land and he watched as the two men exited and made their way to the lab. He was desperate, needing to make a decision quickly. He was running out of time. He didn't care why they were there. But he needed that time ship. He managed to get ahead of Snart. He waited until the runner stopped to catch his breath, then he made his move.

Leonard was running, out of breath, and needed to stop. He slowed down when he saw the swirl of air directly ahead of him. It actually looked like a small tornado (or dust devil, as they were sometimes called), harmless swirls of air that were about a foot across and only strong enough to pick up dust. As he watch the swirling air, it seemed to move, come closer to him and eventually stop right in front of him. He watched in awe, as it seemed to open up, encircling around him. He found himself standing in the "eye" of the swirl. Then it started to contract, until it was close enough to touch him. The swirling air increased its speed faster and faster. Snart tried to get out, but something was holding him in. He found it harder and harder to breath. Eventually he passed out. When he came to, he had no memory of what had happened. He figured he must have tripped and fell, knocking himself out in the process. He checked his watch and found he had been out about 20 minutes. He checked the sample to make sure it was still in one piece, and it was. He was relieved. He didn't hear any more gun shots and assumed either he was too far away, or Mick had gotten away. He hoped it was the latter. Any other explanation was unacceptable. He decided to walk back to the ship in order to not draw any more attention to himself than he had to.

* * *

Mick beat him back to the Waverider. When he entered, he looked around the bridge, but didn't see Snart. "Snart back yet?" He asked, worried.

"No, not yet. Why didn't you return together?" Rip asked.

"It was an ambush. We got separated. I'm going back to look for him."

"He's a big boy. He can look after himself. Do you have the sample?"

"He had it when all hell broke loose. Probably still does. If he's not back soon, I'm going to start looking for him."

Everyone was on the bridge watching Mick get ready to leave, when Len returned.

"Where have you been?" Rip demanded. "Do you have the sample?"

"I'm fine thank you. Unavoidably detained."

"Do you have the sample?" Rip asked again, holding out his hand. "Mr. Rory told me you were ambushed outside the lab. What went on out there?"

"You tell me," he said accusingly. "If I didn't know better, I would say someone knew we were coming."

"Maybe you're not as good as you think."

Leonard was getting pissed. "I better leave before I really do something I won't regret."

Rip considered that statement for a moment. "Better have Gideon look at that," he pointed at Snart's left temple. Snart reached up and touched it. His fingers came back with blood on them. He hadn't even noticed. He handed the sample to Rip, then Len and Mick walked away, towards the Med Bay.

"What happened to you?" Mick asked, pointing to his head. "You trip or something?"

"Or something," Len explained. "I see you made it back. My resume is still intact."

"What happened back there?" Mick asked, looking somewhat confused. "This was well planned. We didn't set of any alarms that I know of."

Len reached up and touched his bloody temple. It was starting to ache. "I don't know. I need some aspirin and some sleep. Can we talk about this in the morning?"

"Sure. Don't forget. Briefing at 9:00." Mick reminded him.

Len gave Mick his _Do you really think I give a damn_ look and walked away. However, he knew Len would be there.

* * *

Len walked back to his quarters, nursing a headache that had taken up residence. He took some aspirin, but it didn't seem to help. He decided he might be able to shake it off if he could get some sleep. It took some time to fall asleep, even as tired as he was, the headache not helping things much. After two hours he got up, put on the same clothes he had been wearing earlier, and walked to the library. It took him ten minutes to find a couple of books that he thought would help him, and settled down for some in-depth reading.

The next morning Mick knocked on his door. When Len didn't answer, he pounded. "Hey, Len, you in there?"

Len opened the door, looking like he was still asleep. "What!?" he demanded, looking confused.

"Aren't we cheery this morning," Mick observed, as he followed Len back into his room.

"Time flies when you're having fun. I feel like I just went to bed."

"You look like it too. Briefing in five." Mick started to leave, but turned around to make sure Len didn't go back to bed.

"Fine. Just let me get dressed. I'll meet you there." After Mick left, Len slowly got dressed, feeling like his body was made of lead. He found it hard to focus, like he was living in a fog. And he was tired. How could he be so tired after sleeping all night? A headache was sitting just under the surface, waiting to appear. He took two aspirin and left.

* * *

When he arrived, the briefing had already started. He slumped into the first chair he found, close to the door, hoping he would not be noticed.

"Nice of you to join us, Mr. Snart," Rip commented. Then he continued with the briefing.

Snart tried to pay attention, but found it difficult. Hunter's voice sounded so far away. Strange thoughts started to go through his mind. He found himself thinking about blueprints, wiring, and navigation. And home. A great need to go home.

Mick stood next to Len and kicked him in the leg. Len jerked awake with a start. He didn't realize he had fallen asleep. "What's with you?" Mick asked. "You missed the entire briefing. That's not like you."

Len tried to cover it up. "Yes it is. You just never noticed it before. Come on, you can tell me about it on the way. Sarah and I are supposed to spar this morning. She wants to show me some new moves."

"Oh great, I can watch her beat the crap out of you again."

"Very funny." He responded, not sure if he was up to this.

Sara was already there, stretching out her muscles on the mat. She looked at Len and raised an eyebrow. "You slept through the briefing. Are you sure you're up to this?"

Len just smirked, trying to make light of it. "Sure. I just love getting my ass kicked."

Mick sat off to the side, watching everything. He felt that something was off with Snart, but he couldn't put a handle on it. Maybe he was _just tired._ Eventually he shrugged it off, thinking it was just his imagination. That is until . . .

Sara had been explaining to Snart how to avoid getting thrown down by an adversary. She explained where to put his hands and how to shift and they practiced it slowly. Then it was time to put it into action. Mick watched them face off. Then Sara lunged and after a bit, threw Len on his back.

"Are you sure you're paying attention? Here try it again." Len took the hand she offered and stood up.

"Be gentle. It's my first time." Now he sounded more like himself. They faced off a couple more times and he seemed to be getting the hand of it. Then Sara picked up her fighting sticks.

"Not fair," Len complained.

"When is fighting ever fair? Come on, show some backbone."

Mick continued to watch as Sarah and Len faced off. He seemed to be getting more and more frustrated every time she floored him. Then suddenly he used a move Mick had never seen before. Not only was he winning, he was able to flip Sara onto her back. He grabbed one of the rods and shoved it under her chin, against her neck, and started to push. Sara grabbed the rod and tried to pull it away. Her voice came out in gasps, as she was having trouble breathing. "Len . . .Stop!"

Mick jumped up and pulled Len off her. Len took a couple of steps back. He hadn't realized what he had done. He looked at Mick, then Sara, and back to Mick again. He looked shocked and surprised.

"I'm . . . sorry." He barely managed to say. "I don't know what happened." He turned and left the cargo bay.

Mick ran after him. Catching up to him in the hallway, near the galley, he grabbed his arm and spun him around. "What the hell was that back there?" he demanded. "You could have killed her, if I hadn't pulled you off."

Len back up, only stopping when his back hit the wall. He looked confused, and his eyes weren't focused. "I don't know. One minute I was on the mat, the next you were pulling me off." He looked in the direction of the cargo bay, wiping his face with his hands.

"Well you better get your act together before you hurt somebody." Mick sounded mad. He stared at Len for a few seconds then walked back to the cargo bay to make sure Sara was all right.

After Mick left, Len muttered under his breath, "Never underestimate your opponent."

* * *

The next few days passed in a haze for Snart. He seemed to be going through the motions on the outside. Inside he was in turmoil. He would see pictures in his mind he couldn't explain and feelings that weren't his. A couple of times he found himself in places he couldn't remember going to. He was still waking up more tired than when he went to bed. He almost thought he was having a break down.

* * *

Now that they were hiding in the temperal zone, while trying to figure out Savage's next move, he was getting more and more desperate.

He was in his quarters, anxious and pacing. It was harder and harder to pretend everything was all right. Even though he had tried to study up on the ship's systems, he would never be able to pilot the ship the way he needed. He was going to have to risk forcing someone to do it for him. He had no choice, he was running out of time. He checked his memories, looking for a possible candidate. He would get Lance to do it for him, tonight. She was the obvious choice. He didn't have to dig too deep to see that he felt something for her. He just hoped she felt something too, in case something went wrong.

It was 11:00 and Mick couldn't sleep. He had picked up two beers from the galley and started walking towards Len's room. Just as he was rounding the corner to enter the hallway where the private quarters were located, he heard a door open. He pulled back around the corner, allowing just enough space so he could see what was going on. Len's door opened. Len checked the hallway, and not seeing anyone, he continued down the hall. Mick took a glance and watched Len turn right out his door. As he did, he saw Len placing a gun into the back of his waistband. Snart walked down two more doors and knocked.

"Sara," he said quietly. "Are you still up? Can we talk?"

Her door opened and he walked in. Mick wasn't sure what was going on, so he decided to keep his distance.

Sara sat on her bed and Len walked over and sat next to her. "So, you wanted to talk. What about?"

"Sorry about earlier, when we were sparring. I don't know what happened."

"What was that move? I didn't know you could do that."

"I actually came to talk to you about something else. I need a favor."

"This time of night? What kind of favor?" She asked suspiciously.

"I need someone who knows how to fly this ship." He stood up and pointed his gun at her. "I understand you qualify."

Sara looked at him, confused. "Come on Snart. This isn't funny."

"It isn't meant to be. Get up. We're going to the bridge."

"What's going on Snart? I'm not moving til I know what's going on." She glared at him and refused to move.

He didn't think he had time to argue. "I'm sorry, Len's not home right now. Leave a message at the beep. Let's go."

Sara considered her options at the moment. If it was going to come down to a fight, she would be better off on the bridge. She also might be able to do something on the way, so she played along.

Mick had been peeking around the corner. When Sara walked out of her room, she saw him and quietly shook her head "no". Mick pulled back and decided to follow them.

As they were walking, Sara tried to distract him by talking. "What's going on Len? Why do we need to go to the bridge?"

"As I told you, Len's not home. Just keep moving and perhaps we'll all get out of this alive."

Sara stopped and turned to him, looking at the gun staring her in the face. "If Len's not here, where is he?"

"Oh, he's here," he said, pointing to his head. He's locked away. Stubborn man, he is. It took me a while to to build up a strong enough wall. Now if you don't mind."

They continued to walk to the bridge, Mick following a short distance behind, beer still in hand.

"So what now?" she asked as they entered the bridge.

"I need you to take me to Toronto, 2020."

"Why there?" she asked, trying to keep him distracted while Mick tried to approach from behind.

"Just do it! And stop stalling-"

Mick had come up from behind him and hit him with one of the bottles he had in his hand. Len went down like a rock.

"You alright? What's all this about Len not being home? Why did he want you to fly the ship to 2020?"

"I don't know, but I think we better do something before he wakes up."

* * *

Mick carried him down to the brig and dropped him on the bench in one of the cells. Then they went to the Med Bay.

They had Gideon wake the others and have them come down. Once everyone was there, they shared what information they had.

"We have a problem," Sara started to explain. "Either Snart has has a break down, or someone, or something has taken over Snart's body. Gideon, turn on the monitor to the brig.

Everyone looked worried as they looked at the man laying unconscious on the bench. They sat quietly, not knowing what to ask, or afraid to voice their opinion.

Slowly, he started to wake. It took him a couple of minutes to figure out where he was. He was totally confused. How did he get here? What did he do that would cause him to be here? He stood up on unsteady feet and walked over to the door. It wouldn't open. "Hey," he yelled. This isn't funny. Open the door!"

"Leonard?" Sara asked, her voice coming over the monitor on wall outside his cell.

Then he doubled over in pain. He was holding his head in his hands. When it passed, everything changed. He started to pace, pounding his hands on the glass walls, and looking like an angry caged animal.

"Gideon?" Stein asked. "What can you tell us is going on with Mr. Snart?"

"Mr. Snart's heart rate and breathing have increased. He appears agitated. He is not acting like himself. For a more detailed analysis, he would need to be here where he can be monitored and assessed.

"That was a lot of help." Ray offered. "I vote for a break down."

"We're not voting," Mick responded. "I want to go and talk to him."

"Come on Mick," Sara agreed. "Let's go. The rest of you stay here and see what you can come up with."

When Len saw them walking toward his cell, he ran up to the glass. "Sara, Mick, what's going on? Let me out of here."

"Not until we've had a talk," Mick demanded.

"I thought we were talking. Good performance, don't you think?" He said quietly and calmly. He stepped up to the door and leaned against the glass. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Break down! Definitely break down," Jax reported to the others in the Med Bay.

Sara started to think about what he had said, before. "I want to talk to Snart. I need to know if he's all right."

"I don't think that's a good idea. Now that he's behind the wall, I want to keep him there. He can be quite persistent. Must be something he picked up from that shitty childhood of his. Oh don't look so surprised. I know all about him. His emotions. His memories. His feelings . . ." he said slowly, looking straight at Sara. "Especially about you. He's a real mess you know. Lots of issues. Could probably use a good shrink. And Mick, you two have been through a lot together. The things I could tell you, both of you. Did you know he tried to commit suicide in his teen age years?

"Stop it!" Mick demanded. Sara looked shocked. "How do you know about that? I'm the only one who knew about that."

"I told you. I know all his memories. You saved him, didn't you Mick? You found him after he had taken all those pills. Tried to convince him he was worth something, despite what his old man told him again and again. He still thinks about that from time to time, wondering if your saving him was a mistake. Like I said, lots of issues."

Everyone in the Med Bay heard what he had said. They had never heard Snart talk about anything so personal before.

"If you're not Snart," Mick asked, "Who are we talking to?"

"That's a good question," he said quietly, turning his back to them, staring out at nothing in particular. "I've gone by many names. Right now I'm using Leonard Snart. Tomorrow? Who knows?."

Suddenly he turned around, facing the people on the other side of the glass. "You don't understand. I can't . . . stay here." He started pounding on the glass. "I _will_ find a way to get out!"

He continued to pound and pound, even after his hands became bloody.

"Gideon, flood it!" Sara yelled.

Immediately a blue smoke started to fall from the ceiling. Len looked up and watched it float down toward him. "What are you doing?" He asked in a panicked voice. He looked around trying to get away. "Don't do this!" The smoke enveloped him and he collapsed on the floor.

 **Author's notes:**

 **Thought it would be interesting to write a story that suggested some kind of split personality. How would the others handle it? How do you stop one without hurting the other? Interesting dilemma. Now I know what other author's were talking about, when they said that stories have a mind of their own.**


	2. Chapter 2

They carried him down to the Med Bay and strapped him down, just in case, and hooked the medical cuff to him. Sara and Mick watched as he tried to fight against the sedative. Gideon was told to keep him sedated until they could figure things out. It was Stein that came up with the best suggestion.

"Gideon, please run a brain wave scan of Mr. Snart. Hopefully it should tell us if he is having a break down."

After a few minutes, Gideon informed them that the scan was finished.

"Put it up on the monitor please."

"You will find Mr. Snart's initial brain wave pattern on the left, and the current one on the right," Gideon informed them.

Jax was looking hard at the pattern on the left. "Well, that explains a lot of things."

Sara threw him a hard look. Then she waved her hand over the mess that was the second scan. "Gideon, what's all this? They don't look anything the same."

Suddenly Ray jumped up, excited with his idea. "Gideon, take that first scan and place it on top of the second scan. Now remove it from the second scan." Slowly lines started to disappear from the monitor. What was left was a single set of waves. "Look at that. If I didn't know better, I'd say he had two different sets of brain waves. But that wouldn't make sense."

"Or two different personalities in the same space!" Sara had finally put it together. "He was telling the truth. Len, and whoever it is, are sharing the same body."

Sara's conclusion had sparked a lot of conversation among the team. Everyone was talking at once. Ideas were being bounced back and forth about how it could happened and when it could have happened.

Mick had to raise his voice in order to be heard by everyone. "It doesn't matter how or when it happened. We just have to work on how to fix it."

"It's hard to fix something we don't understand," Rip finally offered. I think we have to talk to the source. Get him to tell us what's going on. It's the only thing that makes sense."

After a short time, they had come up with what they thought was a plan. They walked over to the bed that Len was laying on. Gideon was still pumping sedatives into him.

"Are you sure about this? I can stay if you want," Mick offered.

"No, it's all right. He might respond better one to one. Besides I can always kick his ass if it comes down to it. The rest of you can monitor from the bridge." And with all that decided, the rest of the team left.

Sara stood over the sleeping Len. "Gideon, I need you to back off on the sedative. I need just enough that he can speak but not enough to keep him on his feet. I don't need him getting loose and trying to get out of here."

"Do you believe that is wise?" the AI inquired.

"No, but I believe it's our only option."

Sara took a chair and sat down next to Snart. She didn't know how long it would take or even how to take this. She thought about what Len, or whatever it was, had said, about his suicide attempt. Did he really think he was worth so little?

And who would he be when he woke up? Snart? Or the other . . .thing? Person? She didn't know what to call it.

She felt helpless, waiting for him to wake up. If there _was_ something in there with him, what would he be like when it was gone? Would he just go back to being himself? Would he be able to handle it? She brushed his forehead with the back of her hand. He may need a lot of help when this was over. What would he do when he found out everyone knew something so personal about him that he had kept hidden? How would he feel when he found out there was something out there that knew everything about him, had accessed his memories and his emotions? Oh boy. His emotions. Something he had tried so hard to push down, to keep under control, to hide. Way too many things to think about. Maybe he _would_ need a good shrink after all.

After about an hour, Len took in a deep breath and tried to open his eyes. He could only force them halfway, and it took him a few seconds to realize he wasn't in the brig anymore. When he tried to sit up, he found he was restrained, and at first he was in a panic, struggling against the straps.

Sara laid a hand on his arm, and he saw her for the first time.

"Where am I?" He demanded.

"You're in the Med Bay. Who am I talking to? Leonard Snart? Or someone else?"

"Does it really matter?"

"We found two different sets of brain wave patterns," she informed him. "Who are you and what are you?"

"How long have I been here?" He asked. "What are you doing to me?" He was finding it difficult to keep his eyes open.

"Gideon is keeping you sedated, for everyone's protection. I repeat my question: Who are you? What do you want with Len? With us?"

"I guess I am what you, in your time, refer to as a meta-human. I died, or so I thought, in an explosion. I lost my body, but my mind was still in tact, fused with the air that surrounded it. I learned to control that air to get around."

He paused for a moment. The wall in his mind was getting harder and harder to keep up, the other one was fighting back.

"Getting too hard to think," he confessed.

"I'm not stopping the sedative, if that's what you want. You still haven't told me what we should call you. I am assuming you have a name."

"You can call me Ethan. I can't even remember my given name any more."

"All right, Ethan. Now, what do you want with Len?

"What I want is to go to 2020. And you are going to make it happen," he said confidently. "Right now, your friend is . . ok. His mind is intact, for now. If you want that to continue, I suggest we get going."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a fact. The longer I stay here, the harder it will be for him to keep us separated. He won't be able to tell which memories are his or mine. Some have been known to go mad." He looked directly at Sara. "Look, you want your friend back, and I need a ride. They know how to track me now. I've been just one step ahead of them for some time. Sooner or later, probably sooner, they'll figure out where I am." He closed his eyes. It was hard to concentrate.

"Who's tracking you?"

"Bounty hunters. So far, I have been able to hide. Your friend was . . . just a convenience."

"Just a convenience?!" Is that what you call it?" Sara was getting mad and got up to pace. "You invade his mind, trap him inside his own body, and who knows how much damage you've done, and you call him a . . .convenience?"

"I needed him. I still do. I can hide in 2020. I have friends there that can help me. I just need a way to get there."

"And what happens to Snart when you get there? Do you just leave and invade someone else?"

"Depends. Depends on how long we've been bonded and how strong his mind is. I'm not giving any more information until I know where I stand. You take me back to Toronto, 2020, and I give you your man back. Deal?"

"I have to talk to the others. I'll be back," and she left for the bridge.

When she arrived, every one was quiet. "Well, you all heard. What do you think?"

Mick was the first one to speak. "I say deal. I don't know how much of this Len can take, if he's telling the truth."

"Do you think we can trust him, I mean Ethan?" Ray asked.

"We don't need any bounty hunters on our tails," Jax stated. "I say we turn him over to them. He must have done something to have a bounty on him."

"With or without Snart?" Mick asked, challenging Jax.

Once again Stein was the bearer of a well thought out idea. "First, I think we should talk to Mr. Snart, and try to determine if he's alright. Or at least try to find out how much damage has been done. The sooner the better, if his information is correct. Then we can decide what to do from there."

"Mick, you know him the best," directed Rip. "Go with Sara and Professor Stein. "Talk to our guest and make a deal. We don't move until we talk to Snart."

As Mick walked past Sara, on his way out, Sara grabbed his arm. "Are you up to this?"

"I don't know. But no one here knows him better than I do. If something"s wrong, I'll know it."

"If we want a more accurate measure of his mental health, he needs to be off the sedatives. It could affect his state of mind, " the professor offered. "I would keep him restrained, though, or perhaps sent back to the brig. There's no telling how he will react."

Sara stood in the doorway. "We can't keep him on sedatives forever. The brig is a good idea. Let's go talk to Ethan."

When they arrived, Stein explained their plan to Ethan.

"And what if you don't like what you find?" Ethan asked. "There's already been a small amount of . . .damage. I can't guarantee anything."

"Then we'll deal with it." Mick demanded. "Get up. We're going back to the brig."

* * *

Ethan sat on the bench in his cell. Mick had asked to stay inside with him. Sara and Stein waited outside the door.

"Anytime you're ready." Mick wanted to get this over with. He wasn't sure what he felt about this. What if Len wasn't Len any more?

Ethan took a big breath, held it, and closed his eyes. After about 5 seconds, he looked up, confidence having been replaced by bewilderment and confusion. Len stood up, looked around wildly, breathing faster and faster as he tried to make sense of things.

Mick, walked over slowly, trying not to scare him, and put a hand on his arm. "Len. Len it's me. It's Mick."

Len pulled away and backed up. It reminded Mick of a trapped animal. Len didn't take his eyes off him.

At first he didn't say anything. He couldn't put his thoughts into words. Mick turned, looked at Sara, then back at Len.

"Len. Calm down. You're in the brig. Everything's fine." Len didn't give any indication that he had heard.

"Len, you have to be strong. You have to fight this. We're gonna fix this. I just need you to hold on. Can you do that?"

Len just shook his head, then he said his first words "Mick? What's going on?" Then he looked toward the door.

"See, Sara's here." Mick pointed toward the glass.

Len walked over and put his hand on the glass. Sara put her hand on the glass over his. "Sara?" he whispered.

"I'm here." She could barely get the words out.

"Help me. . . .I can't . . .it's all mixed up." He started looking around again.

"I know. We're trying to make it better." She was trying to offer him some hope.

"They're coming. They're coming for us." He whispered.

"Who? Who's coming" Stein asked.

"I won't go. I won't let them take me. You can't let them take me."

"He's obviously having a hard time separating himself from Ethan." Stein stated. "We better get this deal done as soon as possible before we lose him for good."

Len put his palms over his temples and closed his eyes. When he looked up again, Len was gone.

"I told you I couldn't guarantee anything."

"Where's Len? Bring him back!" Mick was pissed.

"No. As you could see, your friend is running out of time. Do we have a deal?"

"Why are the bounty hunters after you," Stein asked. "Did you commit some terrible crime? Body snatching, perhaps?"

" I was a thief. Somewhat like your friend. However, with my . . .unique. . .ability to blend with others, it was easy to search their memories for codes and such. I would use them to take what I wanted. I seem to have made more than a few enemies along the way.

"You're going to be adding _us_ to the list pretty soon," Mick threatened. He really wanted to punch this guy in the face, but he knew it wouldn't do any good.

Suddenly Rip recalled all three of them back to the bridge.

When they got there, they heard the tail end of the message.

"-we'll be waiting for your reply."


	3. Chapter 3

"Seems our bounty hunters have caught up to our guest after all," Rip informed them.

"What do they want?" Stein asked.

"They want to meet and discuss getting their thief back."

"Well, they could have just attacked us instead of talking. Maybe we should listen to what they have to say," Jax offered.

"I'm not meeting them anywhere we might have a disadvantage. Any suggestions?" Rip asked.

"We meet on our ship," Mick offered. "That way we have the home advantage. They send one man. That reduces the chances of a fight."

"Everyone agree?" Rip looked around before he went on. "They are not getting Snart without a fight."

The bounty hunters agreed to the terms. They were sending one man over. When he walked onto the Waverider, everyone was there, guns at the ready.

"My name is Auris. We are here to take our prisoner back."

"Your prisoner?" Ray asked. "I don't remember him being in your custody at the time."

"He escaped. I suggest you be careful. He is very resourceful."

"Resourceful enough to get past you, evidently," Rip muttered under his breath.

"We want him back. We'll do whatever it takes. _Whatever it takes!"_ He emphasized.

"What did he do to get you after him?" Jax asked.

"Murder. Murder and theft." He looked at their surprised faces. "Ah, I take it he didn't tell you that, did he?"

"No, no he didn't," Sara remarked.

"Can I talk to him?" the hunter asked.

"Right now he resides in one of our team. Can they be separated?" Rip asked.

"It may be possible. I need to talk to him first."

"This way," Rip lead Auris to the brig, the rest followed behind.

The hunter took out some sort of hand held device. He pointed it at the cell and took a reading. "Hello Ethan," the hunter said. "I see you found someone else to hide in. We almost had you, back there. I'm here to collect."

"Seems you forgot to mention you were wanted for murder, Ethan," Rip stated.

Ethan was visibly upset. He was pacing the cell. "You can't turn me over to them. You don't know them like I do. I won't go." He stopped and looked him straight in the face. "It wasn't murder. It was self defense. The man who put the bounty on me doesn't care."

"I don't care either," Auris added. "We just want the bounty."

"Can they be separated or not?" Mick demanded.

"We don't have the means. However, we know someone who does. If he doesn't do it voluntarily, we can take him there. Force him out. We don't want your friend. We want him."

"What do you mean, _force him out?"_ Stein asked.

 _"_ Don't listen to him," Ethan pleaded. "It could possibly kill your man or turn him into something you won't recognize. Do you really want to take a chance on that? I won't go gently. I'll fight it as much as I can. Take me to 2020 and I'll just disappear."

"Damage is always a possibility. However, with or without your man, we will take him. You try to run with him and we'll shoot you out of the sky," the hunter advised them.

The bounty hunter saw Mick put his hand on his sidearm. "And yes, that was a threat. You have two hours to decide. After that, we're coming after him." And with that he returned to his ship.

Everyone gathered in the conference room. It was eerily silent. No one wanted to be the first to speak.

"I say we fight," Mick finally spoke up. "I won't let them take Snart."

"For the first time, I agree with Mr. Rory. Forcing Ethan out doesn't sound like a viable option," Stein offered.

"If we fight, can we beat them?" Ray asked.

"I would like to see fighting as our last option. We could lose and then what would happen to Mr. Snart? Or us? Just give me a few minutes to think," Rip answered.

"Can't we just run?" Jax asked.

"I'm sure they would just follow us. Maybe we can put all of this in a plan."

* * *

Mick opened the door to the cell. "C'mon, we're leaving. Put these on." He threw a set of handcuffs to him.

"You can't do this! I didn't murder anyone!" He pleaded as Mick grabbed his arm.

"We're getting out of here. Nobody is giving you over to the hunters. The handcuffs are in case you decide you don't need us and try to get away. Now move!"

Rip put Snart, Mick, and Sara into the jumpship.

"Now remember, Toronto, 2020. Don't start until we have their attention. If we are successful, we will meet you there."

The two hours were up and the hunters were demanding their prisoner. "Give him over, or prepare to be boarded."

"I don't really like either." Rip announced as he took off out of the temporal zone, leaving a trail of smoke behind, hopefully enough to hide the smaller jumpship as it separated from the Waverider, and to leave a trail for the bounty hunters to follow. Rip made sure that the hunters could keep up with his ship, leading them away from their prize.

Gideon let the captain know when the jumpship was clear and on it's way.

"Now we can negotiate."

* * *

Rip sent an s.o.s. to the hunter's ship. When Auris came on the monitor, Rip gave him the story of Len's escape.

"We need help. Our navigation system has been taken out. Our drive has been sabotaged. You were right. He is very resourceful. Can you help us?"

"Prepare to be boarded."

Sara took the ship to 2020. She landed in a field a few miles outside of Toronto and cloaked the ship.

"OK, now what?" She asked. "You said you had friends that could help you."

"I just need to find them. You know, get the word out. They tend to move around a lot. Makes them hard to find," Ethan explained.

"You never said anything about having to find anyone," Mick complained.

"I said if you brought me here I would leave, and I will. I just need to get to the Sinner's Bar. I'm sure I can contact them from there."

Mick squirmed at the name of the bar. So close in name to the bar Snark used to hand around in: Saints and Sinners. "Alright, let's go."

"What about these?" Ethan held up his hands, showing the hand cuffs.

"I'll take them off, but one false move and I'll shoot you, friend or no friend," Mick informed him.

They walked into the bar and sat at a table in the corner. It was dark inside, just what their clientele needed to not stand out. A couple was shooting pool and a hooker was trying to pick up a john. The bartender delivered their drinks and was surprised when Len said, "Hello Hal. Ruby been around today?"

"How do you know Ruby?" he asked suspiciously.

"When you see her, tell her Ethan said hello."


	4. Chapter 4

"Oh my God, is that you, Ethan? What happened to -" He stopped short when he realized he didn't know the other two people.

"Had a little trouble with bounty hunters. Had to ditch and make other arrangements."

"Other arrangements?" Mick growled.

Ethan ignored him. "Tell Ruby to meet me here tomorrow, same time."

"Got it."

"Let's go. The other patrons don't like strangers."

Just as they were leaving the bar, Ethan tried to make a break for it. He grabbed Sara and pulled her in front of him, putting his arm around her neck. "Let me go or I'll kill her," he growled.

Mick didn't answer. Obviously Ethan didn't know Sara. She threw all her weight into her arm and elbowed him in the stomach, forcing him to let her go, then she threw him on his back, putting a knife to his throat.

"Kill me and you kill him," Ethan reminded her.

"I'll don't have to kill you. Try that again, and Gideon will have a job to do when we get back."

* * *

The bounty hunters boarded the Waverider. They searched the ship, top to bottom, but couldn't find Snart.

"We took a vote and decided to hand him over. He jumped one of my men, sabotaged my ship, and got away," Rip explained. "Guess he didn't like the company."

"You're lucky we're in a hurry or we might just set you up for target practice," Auris said. "Back to the ship. If we're lucky, we can still track him."

"What about the repairs?" Rip asked as the hunters left.

Rip and Jax got all the repairs done. "We need to get going as quickly as possible. We need to find them before the bounty hunters do." A course was set and the Waverider took off for 2020.

* * *

The three of them went back to the jumpship. It was cloaked and provided them with a safe place to wait. Mick was getting worried, the more time they took, the harder it would be for Snart when this was over.

Sara kept finding herself watching Smart, finding it hard to accept that it wasn't Snart. He looked like him, sounded like him, but he wasn't him.

Ethan caught her looking, and came over and sat next to her. "He likes you, a lot. But he finds it hard to trust, to open up to people. His mother broke his heart when she left him. He swore he'd never let that happen again. Lisa is the only one who got past his defenses. Of the two women he's ever been close to, his mother included, he got burned both times. Give him time. He's not sure he's deserving of love."

"Doesn't it bother you to know so much about him? How can you delve into his most personal thoughts, feelings and . . . "

"Secrets? We all have secrets. I just learned how to use them to my advantage."

"Before we meet tomorrow, I need to talk to Snart," Mick demanded. "I . .we . .need to know if he's alright."

"I don't think that's a good idea. Right now, the less we go back and forth, the easier it will be later."

Sara repeated what Mick stated. "We need to talk to him. Good idea or not, we need assurances. We need to know he's still in there, somewhere."

"Oh, he's still in here," he said, pointing to his head. "However, right now, he's my insurance."

"Either we talk to him now, or we go right back to the Waverider and take the hunters up on their offer," Sara demanded.

He looked back and forth between them, trying to see just how serious they were. Neither one wavered or backed off.

"And if you don't like what you find?" He asked.

"We just want to know if he's still there. We'll worry about the rest later," Mick stated.

"Alright. But don't say I didn't warn you."

He sat down, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. In just a few seconds, Len opened his eyes.

He jumped out of his seat. He was completely confused as to his surroundings. He turned around a couple of times, trying to make sense of where he was. He never acknowledged the others, until Mick grabbed his shoulders and forced him to look at him.

"Len . .Len . . .it's me, it's Mick, can you hear me?"

Snart pulled away, backing up until he hit the back wall. He stared at them, but couldn't seem to answer.

"Len, it's Sara. You're in the jumpship. We got away from the bounty hunters. You're all right."

He was so tired. He had been fighting for so long. His legs couldn't support him any longer, and he slid down the wall. "I can't do this," he finally whispered, to no one in particular. "I can't do this any more."

"Yes you can!" Mick sat on his knees , right in front of him. "Look at me! You have to be strong. Sara and I are right here."

"Mick?" he asked, looking like he just noticed him for the first time.

"I'm right here. I need you to listen to me. Can you do that? Can you do that for me?"

Len shook his head yes.

"Good. This should be all over by tomorrow. I need you to hang in there. Just a little longer." He looked back over his shoulder. "Look, Sara's here." He motioned for her to come over. "She was worried about you."

Sara came over and sat on the floor next to Len. "Hey, nice to talk to you again."

Suddenly Snart jumped up and started pacing. His voice was going faster and faster in rhythm with his pacing. "They found us. They found us, but we got away. We had to hide, get away, go home. Have to go home." Sara thought he was mixing his memories with Ethan's.

Sara stood up and walked over to him. He stopped pacing when she put her hands on his face. "Yes, we're going home. We're going home tomorrow." Then she turned and walked off the ship.

"Sara!" Mick called. But she didn't answer. When Mick turned back, Len was gone.

"I tried to warn you."

"Stay here," he warned Ethan. "Don't try anything stupid. You try and touch any of the controls, the ship will read your DNA and give you the jolt of a lifetime." He turned around and followed Sara out the door.

He found her sitting on a log, staring off into space, tears running down her face. He sat down beside her and tried to console her. "He's strong. He'll get over this. You just have to give him some time."

"He's barely there. I can't seem to reach him. What if he never comes back?"

"First we see what Gideon can do for him. She can be quite miraculous sometimes. If we have to, we get him some professional help. He's going to need you. You can't fall apart now."

Sara just shook her head and wiped her eyes.

Mick tried to usher he back. "We should probably get back inside before he finds a way to bypass the controls."

* * *

The Waverider arrived in 2020. Gideon was able to track the jumpship and they landed on the Waverider.

"So, what did you find out?" Rip asked.

"We made contact with a friend of a friend. We have a meeting tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully all this will be over tomorrow." Sara informed him.

"How's Mr. Snart?" Stein asked.

"As well as can be expected. But, I suggest we don't blow this. He can't go much longer. What about the bounty hunters?" Mick asked.

"They know you're in 2020, but they don't know where. It will take some time for them to find us. In the meantime, we need to be careful. We were warned, he's very resourceful."

"Had one run-in already. Sara set him straight."

"We'll have to be especially careful tomorrow. If he is as desperate as he appears, he may be capable of just about anything."

* * *

The next morning, Rip pulled Mick aside and asked him about Snart.

"Honestly, I'm not sure," Mick confessed. "We tried to talk to him yesterday, but he couldn't pull himself together. But he is in there, somewhere. I just hope that when all this is over, Gideon can help us pull him back."

"We should start getting ready. We have a lot to do before the meeting," Sara reminded them.

The plan was simple. Len, Mick, and Sara would go to the bar with Stein; Ray and Jax waiting close by as back up, just in case things went wrong. Everyone was issued coms and weapons. Everyone except Ethan, that is. Mick wanted to put him back in handcuffs, but Sara said it wouldn't go well at the meeting.

The four of them walked into the bar. Jax and Ray came in behind them and sat down at a table, trying to look like they fit in, listening on their coms. Ethan nodded at the bartender, who ushered them into a small back room.

Sara and Mick kept a hand on Ethan in case things turned ugly. Standing at a table was a middle aged, black haired woman, with a hand held controller of some kind in her hand.

"Hello Ruby," Ethan announced as they walked in.

She pointed the controller at Ethan and took a reading. "Well, Ethan, seems you came home to roost after all. New friends?"

"You know how much I love to make new friends. We need to talk."

They all sat down at the table in the middle of the room.

"Who are they?" Ruby asked, looking at Mick, Sara. and Stein.

"Friends of his, they want him back," he said, pointing at his head. "Look, I ran into some bounty hunters and managed a new ride. However, they know how to track me now, and they know what I look like. I need a place and a new face to help me lay low in case they show up. What can you do for me?"

"A place to hide isn't impossible. But a new face? A new body? No one is just going to volunteer for that. You know what happens over time. Just how long you been in there?" Ruby asked.

He looked at Mick and Sara before he answered. "Maybe too long. But they won't go without him."

"He has a name, Leonard Snart," Mick informed her. "And he's right. We won't leave without him. We had a deal. We bring him here, and we get our friend back. So what do we do now?"

Ruby took her time, looking at them, and considering her options. Finally she stood up. "It's a good set up, Ethan. Being able to blend with others. I hate to lose you and your . . .talents. Be here tonight around eight. I'll have found a place to hold up by then. You can tell the others waiting in the bar that they can leave with you and don't bring them back and I'm assuming you know not to bring any weapons." She turned and went out the back door.

"Told you they don't like strangers. You guys sure don't blend in well with this crowd." And with that they went back to the Waverider.

* * *

At 7:30 they left the ship and headed for the bar, Len, Mick, Sara, and Ray. Ray had shrunk down in his atom suit and was following along, trying to stay out of the way. He was going to be part of their back up.

"Keep your coms open. I want to hear everything that goes on." Rip had told them.

They entered the front and Ruby ushered them out the back, to a waiting van. The windows were all blackened out. They were checked for weapons by the driver. "Can't be too careful," Ruby informed them as she held the door open. "Get in." Ray followed behind.

When the van stopped, Ruby opened the door. "We're here. Get out."

They were looking at a large building. It probably had been used as a small factory or a warehouse at one time, but looked like it had been empty for some time. They went inside and saw about 10 guys who looked like they had been living there. Mick thought it looked like a space he had hidden out in at one time.

"Now what?" he asked. "We had a deal."

"This place was easy. Finding another body is another matter." Ruby told them.

"That's not my problem," Mick said, looking right at Ethan. "How long can you be without a body?"

"One or two days at the most, depending. The ideal is a couple of hours. After that, it gets harder and harder to blend."

Suddenly Mick grabbed Ethan, relaying the message he received from Rip. "They found us. Rip says the hunters are on their way here."

"Everyone grab a gun," Ruby yelled. "We're about to be raided."

"What about us?" Sara asked.

"What about you? Just stay out of our way, and you might get out of this alive."

Ray heard everything and waited outside for the hunters to show. Mick and Sara waited behind an empty tool rack. It didn't take long.

"They're here!" Ray yelled into his com. "They're here!" Mick repeated to everyone.

The front door blew open and smoke started to fill the room. After that it was chaos. It was hard to see, but shots were being fired back and forth. Ray flew in and took out a couple of the hunters. Then Firestorm showed up and they took out a couple more. Mick and Sara ended up each fighting hand to hand and took out their opponents. The only one not fighting was Ethan. He watched and waited for an opportunity to arise. He was surprised when a gun scooted across the room and landed at his feet, from the hunter Sara took out. He picked it up. Mick found himself looking at the barrel of a gun pointed right at him, by a hunter. Ethan aimed his gun and fired, just as Sara leaped onto the man trying to shoot Mick. From the momentum, both of them ended up crossing between Mick and Ethan. In all the mess, Ethan ended up shooting Mick in the shoulder, instead of the hunter. Mick went down, and Ethan dropped his gun.

The fight didn't go much longer. Most of the hunters had been taken out, but a couple had been caught. Firestorm landed and separated into Jax and Stein, and with Ray's help, and what was left of Ruby's men, they rounded up what was left of the hunters. Auris was one of them.

Sara checked on Mick and asked Ray to fly him to the Waverider, but he didn't want to leave. She propped him up against a wall and approached Ethan. "Anyone ever teach you how to shoot?"

"I'm a thief, remember. Not an assassin."

"Well it shows. C'mon. We still have work to do."

* * *

The few hunters that were left were forced to sit on the floor, while the others stood over them, guns at the ready.

Ruby grabbed Auris and pulled him off to the side. "What are we going to do with you boys? You picked the wrong people to jump. I suppose we could shoot you and hide the bodies, but I think I got something better for you." She grabbed his arm and walked him over to where Ethan was sitting.

"I think we found our man," and she pushed Auris next to Ethan.


	5. Chapter 5

"What? What are you talking about?" Auris asked, a small amount of panic in his voice.

"Don't worry. Some people just get what they deserve," Ethan said.

"What are you talking about? What's going on?" Sara asked.

"We had a deal. You bring me here and I give you your friend back. Seems we found me a new body."

"NO! You can't do it. Please!" The hunter begged.

"Just think of the possibilities." Ruby explained. "Think how much we could learn about them. About him.

Sara felt for the man, but she wanted Leonard more. "Do what you have to do." she said in a quiet voice.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" he asked.

"No, but I have a sedative to give him as soon as you're out. We can take it from there."

The hunter was still begging when he was shoved into the middle of the floor. Ethan stood next to him. He closed his eyes, and a small wind seemed to have picked up in the room. Slowly, they could begin to feel and see the small tornado-like wind come out of Leonard and approach Auris. Then it opened up and surrounded Auris. Leonard immediately fell to the ground. Sara quickly moved down next to him and gave him the injection. They couldn't take any chances of a confrontation with him. Auris was surrounded by the dust devil and it disappeared inside him. A few minutes later he opened his eyes and spoke.

"Hello Ruby." He looked at Mick and Sara. "I suggest you get your man and get out of here before the others change their minds. Forget where we are. We're going to be leaving shortly anyway." He nodded to them and walked away.

"I told Rip about Mick and Snart," Ray explained. "He's bringing the ship in closer. We need to get out of here before anyone else shows up."

Jax helped Mick to his feet and pulled his good arm around his shoulder. Stein helped Ray pick up Snart and put him over his shoulder, fireman style. With everybody ready, they left the building and walked to the place Rip had landed the Waverider.

* * *

When they entered the Waverider, everyone went to the Med Bay. Mick sat in one of the chairs, while Snart was laid on another, strapped down for everyone's protection. Gideon was asked to check over Snart.

"Mr. Snart will need extensive psychological scanning and physical scanning of his brain to see how much damage has been done. I suggest we keep Mr. Snart sedated until the physical testing is completed. But, he needs to be awake for the psychological testing. You do understand I may not be able to provide all the psychological help Mr. Snart may need. Mr. Rory may leave in a few hours.

"Understood." Rip looked at both men positioned on the chairs. "I'm getting us out of here. I'll be back to check up on both of you."

Everyone except Sara and Mick left with Rip. She sat in a chair next to Snart. She watched him while he slept, watching his chest rise and fall, washing his face with a cloth.

"What do you think?" She finally asked Mick.

"I'm not sure. All we can do is wait. He's strong, and it may take some time. We just have to have a little faith."

"I'm scared. I'm scared he won't be . . .him. I'm scared that he won't have the same. . ." She let the rest drop.

"Feelings for you?" Mick filled in the rest. "I'm not sure what to say. All we can do is take it slow and easy and let him lead."

Sara just nodded and started to leave. "I'm going to clean up. I'll be back in a little while. Maybe you should try and get some rest." She went to her quarters and let the tears fall.

* * *

She returned an hour later, cleaned up and changed. Mick was sleeping. She sat in the chair next to Snart and held his hand, brushing his cheek with her other hand. She began talking to him, low, hoping not to disturb Mick.

"I know you probably can't hear me, but there are some things I want to say. Well, where do I start? Ethan is gone. The bounty hunters are all taken care of. They won't bother us again." So much for the small talk. She was getting up her nerve to say what she really wanted to say.

"No matter what happens, no matter how things turn out, I will stand by you. You mean a lot to me, Mick and me, and, well, we won't abandon you."

Inside his mind, he could hear her words, but they didn't make sense. He couldn't make any meaning out of it. He was just so tired. Another beep, and Gideon had given him his next dosage, then he didn't hear her at all.

"I remember what Ethan said about what you tried to do when you were young. How you still think about it from time to time ,thinking, maybe, Mick saving you was a mistake. Don't you ever think it was a mistake. I don't know what I. . .we. . . would do without you. I need you to come back. I need to know you're alright-"

Len started to stir. Only he wasn't waking up.

"I'm afraid Mr. Snart is dreaming." Gideon informed Sara. "He's dreaming about being surrounded by a wall and trying to get out."

"Should I wake him?" Sara asked.

"Dreaming is very useful to humans. Sometimes dreams help people work out problems they can't seem to solve when they are awake or help them relive pleasant memories. They also help them remember repressed memories, or force people to face problems they can't seem to face when they are awake. I suggest you don't wake him. Let them take their natural course. It may be beneficial to him."

"Or they can turn into nightmares!" Sara said as she watched Len's head turn from side to side, his breathing becoming more and more shallow and rapid, his arms and legs pulling against the straps.

"The wall Mr. Snart has been dreaming about is falling apart, the bricks falling on top of him, burying him," the AI reported.

"Gideon, do something!"

Suddenly Len woke up, his body raised a few inches off the chair, his eyes barely open, but not focussed. He was still breathing heavily when Sara touched him arm, he startled.

"You're alright. We're back on the ship."

Len looked at her, as he tried to slow down his breathing. He whispered, "What's going on?"

"How do you feel?" She asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Groggy. Tired." He closed his eyes again.

"Go back to sleep. I'll tell you everything you need to know when you wake up."

He slept most of that day and the rest of the night. He did rouse a couple of times, but he couldn't seem to stay awake. Mick had gone back to his room, so Sara stayed to keep him company. She didn't like the idea of him waking up alone. Stein did come in for a couple of hours, to give her a break, but she couldn't stay away.

By the time he awoke again, Gideon had finished the physical testing. Sara had been asked to wait outside.

"Good morning, Mr. Snart. How are you feeling?" The AI asked.

"I'm not sure. Things are a bit fuzzy."

"What is the last thing you remember?"

He closed his eyes and tried to think. "The last clear thing I remember is 2204, chasing some guy who we thought had information about Savage. It turned out to be a bust, but we did correct the time line. After that, things get a little blurry. What happened anyway? How did I end up here?"

"Mr. Palmer brought you in. Do you remember anything that happened after the time line was fixed?"

"Not really. What did happen?" He asked.

She continued asking him questions, but refrained from answering his.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Snart."

"Gideon? Gideon, what's going on?" But she didn't answer.

* * *

Mick stayed with Snart, as the others met in the conference room.

"I have finished my evaluation of Mr. Snart", the AI reported. "It is my opinion that Mr. Snart has lost his memories of the last ten days. He does not remember any events involving our stay in the temporal zone or any events after that, including his take over by Ethan. Several things can cause this to happen. A person can suffer a head injury, causing a memory loss. I did not find any trace of a physical head injury. Or an event can be so traumatic that a person's mind can't deal with it, causing the event to be repressed. I believe Mr. Snart is suffering from the latter. There may be some other small factors involved, but I believe Mr. Snart's mind cannot deal with what happened when he was attacked and taken over by Ethan. He has been highly traumatized by the event, and his mind is trying to protect itself. I have done everything I can. The rest is up to him."

"But he will remember eventually, won't he?" Rip asked.

"Every person is different. He may never remember, or it could come back slowly, in bits and pieces."

"Or it could come crashing down all at once, couldn't it? Sara asked.

"Yes it could." The AI continued. "If it comes back slowly, it will be easier to handle. If it comes back all at once, he could become highly unstable."

"What do we tell him? Do we tell him the truth about what went on?"

"It could cause the memories to come crashing down. I suggest we refrain and let him remember on his own."

"Well then, we better come up with a pretty good story." Sara said. "It will be hard to fool him."


	6. Chapter 6

Luckily for Mick, Len had been sleeping. He was relieved when Sara returned. He didn't know what he was going to say when Len started asking questions. Sara poked her head in, and motioned for him to come into the hallway.

"Gideon thinks we shouldn't tell him anything that happened, that we should just let him remember on his own. We're going to tell him he had an injury that is causing his memory loss. I'll explain everything later."

She walked back into the Med Bay and sat down next to Snart. They had taken the straps off of him and waited for him to wake up. It didn't take long.

"Hey, it's about time. I thought you were going to sleep your life away."

"Gideon asked me a bunch of questions, but didn't answer any of mine. So, what's going on? How did I end up here?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" Sara asked.

"I'm not sure. Everything is sort of fuzzy. I think we were waiting in the temperal zone, but I can't be sure."

"We left the zone and you and Mick broke into a lab to bring back the only sample of a drug. You were injured. Mick brought you back here and you were unconscious part of the time."

"Must have been some injury. What happened?"

"There was an explosion. You suffered a head injury. Gideon did all she could for you, but it seems to have caused some memory loss. Gideon said it may come back to you or it may not. We just have to wait."

"How many days? he asked.

"Don't worry about that now. Just rest and get better. I'll be back later."

"How many days?" he insisted.

"Ten," she answered quietly. "Gideon says you're missing ten days."

"Ten days?" He tried to sit up, but found it was a big mistake. The room had started to spin. He flopped back down and closed his eyes.

"Could you tell the room to sit still?"

"Dizzy?" she asked.

"I think you could say that."

"I'll talk to Gideon. In the meantime, just try to relax and catch up on your sleep. I'll check up on you later." And with that, she left.

* * *

Rip called a meeting in the conference room. Snart was still confined to Med Bay.

"Just so everyone's clear on what's going on. Gideon believes Mr. Snart has been traumatized by Ethan and his mind has suppressed the events of the last ten days."

"He doesn't remember any of it?" Ray asked.

"Perhaps with time, she believes it may come back to him," Stein informed them. "Until such time, it would be better if we didn't discuss any of the events. If his memories do start to come back, they may come back as dreams or flashes. We'll need to be prepared in case it becomes too much for him to handle."

"Just what does that mean?" Mick asked.

"We need to be prepared in case he becomes unstable or violent. Who knows what his reactions may be."

* * *

"Before I allow you to return to your room, I would like to talk to you," Gideon said.

"What's up?," Snart asked.

"You are aware you are missing ten days worth of memories."

"Yes, about that-"

"We cannot tell you what happened during that time. It would be best if you remembered on your own. Please be aware this may happen in dreams, or flashes while you are awake. I doubt that they will be in any sequential order. Whatever is the easiest will probably come first. If or when this should happen, it might help if you write everything down; what you see, or hear, or feel. That way you and I can discuss it together. Also, you are not allowed to have your cold gun during this time. Mr. Rory already turned it over. If you feel the need to discuss anything, please just ask. I am available anytime. I will be keeping an eye on you."

"Thank you, Gideon. I think. You really know how to make me feel special."

"No missions. Light duty."

Still not feeling that steady, he allowed Mick to walk with him back to his room.

"Anything you need?" Mick asked, before he left.

"Not right now. I'm just glad to be out of there. Gideon was making me feel like a real nut case. So cough it up."

Mick looked at him innocently.

"Actually you could tell me-"

"Sorry boss. No can do."

"You're really not going to tell me?"

"Sara would kick my butt. Gideon was very clear about it. No discussing the missing time. I'll check back on you later. Get some rest."

Len went back inside and sat at his desk. After a while, he opened a drawer and found an old notebook, grabbed a pen, and placed them by his bed. At least Gideon would be satisfied.

* * *

 _ **DREAM:**_

 _It was dark. He was running, trying to get back to the ship. He stopped to catch his breath, and that's when he saw it: a swirl of air in front of him. It surrounded him, and he couldn't breath. He started to fall._

Len woke with a start. The lights had been turned down, making it hard to see. He swung his legs over the side of the bed. He felt light headed, and at first he was dizzy. When it finally passed, he realized he was sitting on his bed.

"I must have been more tired than I thought," he said out loud. He jumped when he heard Gideon answer.

"Yes, I turned down the lights for you."

"Will you stop doing that?"

"It is part of my job to watch out for you. I am sorry if I startled you."

"Well, now that you're here, I think I remembered something."

"In your dream?"

"I'm not sure if it's a memory or not, but it sure felt . . ."

"Real? Please tell me about it."

* * *

He described it to her in detail. She asked more questions, then asked him how it made him feel.

"Feel? I'm not sure I understand the question."

"You said you were surrounded by some sort of wind."

"Yes, but that's it."

"How did it make you feel, when you were surrounded?"

He thought for a minute. He wasn't sure he wanted to say it out loud. "Unsure, surprised . . ." He was running out of words.

"Scared?"

That was the word he didn't want to admit to. "Maybe, a little."

"What happened after it surrounded you?"

"I'm not sure. I couldn't breath. That's all I remember."

"It's a good start. Be sure and write everything down."

* * *

A couple of hours later, he was showered, dressed, and thinking about going for a walk, when Sara knocked at his door. He invited her in, and she sat on his bed, near his desk.

"You look better," she said.

"Better then what?" He smirked.

"Than a couple of days ago." She was suddenly uncomfortable. Looking around, she saw a book on his desk, picked it up, and read the title. She quickly put it back down.

"What's that?" Snart asked.

"It belongs in the library. I must have left it here. I'll just return it."

She started to pick it up again, but he picked it up first, and when he read the title, he looked confused. "Since when are you interested in books on navigation?"

"I'm trying to expand my horizons."

"C'mon I'll walk with you. I'm getting a little bored."

They walked down the hall together. Once inside the library, Snart decided to look around. He raised his hand, letting his fingers slide across the books, as he read the titles. "I've never really looked around here before. Maybe I'll find something to help pass . . the-"

 ** _Flashback_**

 _He saw a hand running over the titles of the books, slowing down when he got into the technical section. Navigation, wiring, blue prints._

Sara noticed he stopped talking. Looking over, she saw he was staring, his sight turned inward. She fought her instinct to touch him.

 _The hand settled on a book, pulled it off the shelf, and leafed through the pages. Now for some in depth reading._

Suddenly the room began to spin and he started to sway. He reached out for anything to steady himself and his hand found Sara. She grabbed him and helped him sit down.

"You okay?"

"I'm . . .I'm not sure. Something weird just happened."

"Like what?"

He looked at the floor, trying to make sense of it. "I think, I think I was in here before, looking for a book. Why would I be looking for a book on navigation? It was me, but it didn't . . .feel like me." He wiped his hand over his face. "Sara I need to know. What's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

Realizing he wasn't going to get a straight answer, he got up and left.

"He's never going to forgive me for this," she muttered as she put the book back on the shelf.


	7. Chapter 7

Gideon had asked Snart to talk to her at least once a day. At first he felt he really didn't have much to say. He would sit in his room, Gideon would ask him questions, and he would answer with as few words as possible. It was hard for him when she kept asking him how he felt about things: flashes or dreams he had. He had never been one to talk about or share his feelings, but after a few days, he started to open up to her, or at least open up more than he had anyone else before.

He found he felt more at ease talking to her than anyone else on the ship. She didn't make judgments or give him funny looks when he couldn't remember things. He couldn't intimidate her with a look and she didn't take any flack from him. Once he became upset with her when she kept asking about his 'feelings'. He was tired and didn't want to talk to her. He was frustrated because he was still having dreams he couldn't understand. He told her, none to gently, to back off and leave him alone. She reminded him that he needed these sessions or he could choose a doctor off the ship. He really didn't want to leave, so he apologized and continued to write in his notebook, sharing what had happened with Gideon.

After about five days, he decided he needed something to do, he was going crazy being stuck on the ship, so he went down to the cargo bay to watch Sara work out. She had been stretching her muscles, getting ready for a workout, when she noticed him sitting on the sidelines.

"Hey, boredom driving you crazy?"

"Yea, needed a change of scenery. Need a partner?"

"You up to it?"

"Gideon seems to think so. Got a clean bill of health. Time I started earning my keep."

"Anything in particular you want to work on?"

"A while back you were going to show me some moves. Something about avoiding getting thrown on my back, or something like that."

Sara paused mid stride. It was what she had been showing him after he had been taken over by Ethan. She wasn't sure it was a good idea.

"Maybe next time. How about we just go over some basics for now? You know, take it easy to start."

He was a little confused at her answer. Usually she was up to anything that would put him in his place, but he agreed. Neither one noticed when Mick came in and sat down to watch.

She went over a few things, then he decided it was time they put some of it into action.

They squared off, he lunged at her and she managed to easily get out of his grip. They squared off again, but this time he laid her out on her back with his arms across her neck. He just stared at her, lost in thought.

Mick had been watching carefully. He ran up in case Len couldn't control what he was doing. Suddenly Len let go, pulling away from her so quickly he landed against Mick. His breathing was coming quick and shallow, and he looked up at Mick with total confusion on his face.

"I . . .I hurt her, didn't I? Before, I mean. We did this before and I hurt her, didn't I?"

Sara got up and pulled him around. "I'm not hurt. You didn't hurt me."

"It was me, but it wasn't me. I saw it. We did this before and I didn't stop." He turned around and looked at Mick. "You pulled me off. Before. But I couldn't, I wouldn't hurt her. Why would I try to hurt her?"

He grabbed his head as his legs gave out. Mick caught him and helped him to the Med Bay.

* * *

He was in obvious pain when Mick helped him into the chair. Gideon quickly evaluated the situation and gave him something for the pain that put him out. After discussing the details with Mick and Sara, Gideon was ready to report out.

"Mr. Snart relived a memory that was painful for him. His mind was fighting back. He could not reconcile the fact that he would deliberately hurt Ms. Lance, whom he cares about."

"But he didn't hurt her, Ethan did. So what does this mean?" Mick asked, worried. "Is he getting worse or something? I mean, is this going to happen every time he remembers something that happened?"

"Mr. Snart and I will have a talk when he is feeling better and decide what to do from there."

* * *

"Mr. Snart, how are you feeling?"

"What happened? I feel like crap."

"I believe that means you are not doing well?"

"You could say that. You and I need a serious talk."

"I'm always here."

He started to pace. "Now. We need to talk now. Enough of this stuff. I need to know what's going on. I'm tired of being the only one out of the loop. Either you tell me, or I will find a way on my own."

"I would not recommend it, Mr. Snart. You may not like what you find."

"Now we're getting somewhere. I'm serious Gideon I want to know what happened during those ten days. I think I have the right."

"Right now, I can tell you that something happened to you. We did not want to tell you about it because we weren't sure how you would react."

He sat down. His voice was quiet and a little shaky. "That bad?"

When she didn't answer, he continued. "There wasn't any explosion, was there?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Then why all the mystery? Why not just tell me?"

"I'm afraid I am to blame for that. I believed that letting you remember on your own was the best way for your mind to handle what had happened to you. Now I am not so sure. If not knowing is going to cause you unneeded stress, then perhaps I should re-think my advice."

"I would rather know than not know. This waiting around for my memories to come back is driving me crazy. What I do remember doesn't make any sense to me. So what do we do now?"

"I will talk to Captain Hunter about our discussion."

"What does he have to do with this?"

"It is his ship after all and he is a part of this team, just like you. Any decisions that affect the ship or the team, affect him as well. All of us are concerned about your mental health-"

"Stop right there. My mental health? I thought all I did was lose some time, some memories. It's more serious than that, isn't it?"

"I will get back to you after I have had a discussion with the captain."

"Gideon? Gideon?" When she didn't answer, he left the Med Bay.

* * *

Rip Hunter was in his office when Gideon asked to talk to him. "Mr. Snart has had a painful reaction to a flashback to one of his memories involving Ms. Lance. He is demanding to know why we can't tell him what happened. I believe he will not give up trying to find out on his own. If he is going to continue have trouble reconciling, perhaps we need to take a chance on telling him. We could do it, in a controlled environment. We could control how much or how little he can handle at one time."

"Do you believe that would be better then letting him remember on his own.?"

"He is remembering bits and pieces. They are out of sequence to the actual events, making it harder for him to make sense of it, causing him additional stress. If it becomes too much, we may not be able to control the situation. There are two things we can do. We can just inform him, or we can help him to remember."

"How can we help him to remember?"

"I can give him a drug that can put him in an induced state of relaxation, almost like sleep. Since his mind is trying to fight the return of his memories, this might force his mind to stop fighting back and give him the sense of security he needs, in an environment we can control. Also, I will be able to see what is inside his mind in case it becomes necessary-"

"To control him?" Rip asked.

"Possibly."

"Do you believe it is for the best?"

"For now, yes."

"Then let's do it. What do you need?"

* * *

Gideon discussed everything with Leonard. Ultimately, it was his decision. "I'm for anything that will bring this to an end. When?"

"This afternoon, if you are up to it. Come to the Med Bay when you are ready."

Len was sitting in his room, thinking, when Mick and Sara showed up. They hadn't seen him since Mick helped him walk to the Med Bay.

"Gideon wants to help me remember what happened."

"How? I didn't know that was possible," Sara said.

"Something about a drug to help my mind relax." He started to pace his room.

"You okay with that? Mick asked.

Snart stopped and looked at both of them. "I was. But the closer it gets, the less sure I am. I need to know what happened to me, but . . ."

"But what?" Sara asked.

He didn't want them to know just how scared he was about this whole mess. He turned his back to her. He was having a hard time putting his thoughts into words. Finally he asked, "Do you know?"

"Some of it."

"Just how bad is it?"

"I'm not sure. I guess that depends on your idea of bad. Gideon asked Mick and I to be there with you. Is that okay?"

He closed his eyes. He wasn't sure he wanted anyone there at all. He felt too exposed.

Sara touched him arm. When he didn't pull away, she left it there. "Gideon said you needed someone there. I'm afraid your choices are somewhat limited."

He tried to lighten the mood. "Better you than Ray. I don't think he could handle it."

"Haircut? Not a chance," Mick said.

"C'mon, let's get this over with." He crossed the room, but paused slightly before walking through the door.

* * *

Gideon had Leonard lay in one of the chairs. She asked Sara and Mick to sit next to him. The cuff was attached and she immediately began injecting the drug. Leonard didn't realize just how nervous he was. He was changing his mind. "I don't think I can-" He started to stand up, but the drug was already taking effect. He was extremely dizzy and plopped back down on the chair.

"Please stay seated, Mr. Snart."

"I don't think that's going to be a problem." He closed his eyes against the wave of dizziness and leaned back in the chair. Sara laid a hand on his shoulder, trying to reassure him. "I won't let anything happen to you."His eyes were still closed, but he shook his head.

"Mr. Snart, this drug is going to help you relax. Keep your eyes closed and just listen to my voice."

"Alright," his voice was almost a whisper.

"As you relax, I want you to think back. Think back to your mission in 2204. You didn't find Savage, but you fixed the timeline."

"Yes I remember. The mission was a bust."

"I want you to tell me what happened after that. What was your next mission?"

Sara looked at Len. She could tell he was fully under the influence of the drug, but something changed. He was hesitant about answering and his breathing started to change.

"Mick and me - we went to a lab. Snatch and grab. I remember shots fired. We separated. I took the sample and -" He stopped, his head turning from side to side.

"Mr. Snart, I want you to open your eyes and tell me where you are.

Slowly he opened his eyes. He looked around the room. "I was running. I needed to stop-" Now he had a look of curiosity on his face.

"Tell me what you see," Gideon insisted.

"It's-it's like a funnel of wind. I haven't seen one since I was a kid. It's just there, in front of me. I'm watching it move. I've never seen one move like that before." He was looking around as if it was right there in the room.

"It's coming towards me - -opening up - -surrounding me - - -"

He was getting upset, curiosity giving way to fear. "I can't breath - can't - breath -" He tried to get out of the chair, but Mick suddenly realized why he was asked to be there. He held his shoulders, pinning him to the chair.

"Mr Snart, Mr. Snart, it's over. You're alright."

His breathing started to slow down, and he closed his eyes again.

Gideon gave him a minute to pull himself together. "Where are you, Mr. Snart? Tell me what you see."

"I don't know. It's dark. I can feel something hard in front of me. All around me - as far as I can reach. Like a wall. My head hurts!- like there's something inside moving around!" His hands reached up to grab his head, a look of severe pain on his face.

"Gideon! Help him!" Sara demanded.

"I can't. This must be the point where Ethan invaded his mind. All we can do is allow this to play out."

After a few minutes, the pain started to recede. Little by little, they could see a change as he started to relax again.

Then suddenly they heard "What's going on? Who are you?" He asked, to an invisible person in front of him.

"Mr. Snart, who is there? Who is with you? What do you see?"

"I don't know. It's just a shape - a shape of a man, but - I can't see his face. I can hear him talking, but I can't see his face. He - he went through the wall, to the other side." Then he started to yell as he began to pound on the invisible wall. "Hey! Hey! Let me out of here! What's going on?!" He grabbed his head again, this time the pain was not a part of his memory. His face scrunched up, and he almost fell off the chair. Mick was the only thing keeping him in the chair. Then he suddenly went limp.

"Gideon, what happened?" Sara asked.

"I gave Mr. Snart a sedative. I believe his pain was produced by his mind trying to protect itself. Allowing him to continue would just have produced more pain. I'm not sure if we can or should continue anymore today. He will sleep for a while. When he wakes, we will discuss the progress made today, and the available options."

"Can we stay? Will he remember what he did today?" Mick asked.

"Yes you can stay, and yes he will remember what he saw today. He may not understand it, but he will remember."

Sara watched him sleep. It wasn't restful sleep, but he was sleeping.

Mick was the first one to comment on what happened. "Ethan wasn't kidding when he said Snart was behind a wall."

"It must have been frightening to him. To be enclosed like that and not be able to get out. I wonder what we will find when he wakes up." Sara added.


	8. Chapter 8

He slept for two hours. Sara and Mick stayed with him. He started to stir, then suddenly sat up, breathing hard, looking lost, as he took in the room.

"Len, Len, you're alright. Mick and I are here. You're in the Med Bay."

He stood up and turned around a couple of times, still looking at the room. "You would not believe the dream I -" He looked at the concerned faces of Mick and Sara. He sat back down slowly. "It wasn't a dream, was it?"

"No it wasn't," Sara said sadly. "Are you alright?" She wanted to ask more, but just wasn't sure how far to push.

He took a deep breath, and took a minute to answer. "Honestly, I'm not sure."

"Mr. Snart, now that you're awake, I would like to talk to you. Ms. Lancer, and Mr. Rory, could you wait outside, please?" Gideon asked.

Snart wasn't sure he really wanted them to go, but Gideon insisted.

"We'll be right outside," Sara said softly. He nodded.

"Mr. Snart, I would like to talk to you about what happened today. Are you up to it?"

"I hope so."

"Tell me what you think happened."

He started to pace. He told Gideon everything he could remember, stopping when he got to the part that Gideon had referred to as the invasion. He sat down and spoke quietly. "I remember how much it hurt. It felt like something was inside me, moving around." He shivered at the thought. "It felt like - like-"

"Like what, Mr. Snart?"

"I'm not sure. Like it was - dissecting me, taking me apart. Learning about me. Looking in all those places we keep private. I never want to go through that again. But this isn't all there is, is it Gideon? There's more going on than just this. What about the rest of it?"

"If you are willing, we can continue another day. So far it has worked. What do you think?"

"This was - rather intense. I need some time. Thanks, I think." He left and joined the others in the hallway.

"Well?" Mick asked, as he started to lead the others down towards the galley.

"I think I could use a drink."

"I've got just the thing," Sara said.

* * *

They sat in the galley, drinking vodka and eating munchies. No one brought up what had happened. Finally, Len said he was heading for the cargo bay to clean his gun. He actually just wanted some alone time to think about things. Sara and Mick said they would go with him as it was on their way to their quarters.

What he hadn't counted on was having to walk past the brig. As he got close, he stopped and looked at it intently. Sara and Mick just watched, hoping he would just keep walking. But he didn't. He slowly walked over to the cell he and Ethan had shared, opened the door, and walked in. He looked around, as if he was looking for something.

"Len, Len, are you alright?" Sara asked as she walked up to the glass.

"Something happened here. In here. I saw it, I saw you and Mick and . . ."

He closed his eyes. "I can hear a voice. It's mine, but it's not me. It doesn't make sense." He stopped as if to listen. "You're asking to talk to me, to know if I'm alright."

He turned around and walked over to the glass wall in front of Sara, putting his hand up to the glass, just like he had before. She put hers on the glass opposite his.

"The voice, my voice, says I'm persistent. Something about a shitty childhood, lots of issues, and . . " That's when he suddenly realized the voice told them about the suicide attempt. "The voice, he told you . . .only Mick and I knew . . .Nobody ever knew how I tried to . . ."

He turned his back to them. He couldn't face them. "I never told anyone," he whispered.

"How did he know?" he whispered to no one in particular. "Who else knows?"

"All of us," she whispered back.

"How did he know?" he insisted. "How was he is my head-" He suddenly stopped and when he turned with a look of complete terror on his face, he made the final realization. He backed away from them, stopping only when he hit the back wall.

"He - He was in me! All this time, he was in me!" He looked up at Mick and Sara for confirmation. That's when it happened. Suddenly all his memories came crashing back, out of time, out of sequence. He held his head as scenes played out in his mind, faster and faster, like a whirlwind. He watched as he shot Mick, held Sara at gunpoint, talked to Ruby, watched the blue gas fall, was surrounded by the wind funnel, and on and on. They were small, quick flashes that kept filling his mind over and over. When it became too much for him he doubled over and yelled.

"STOP IT! MAKE IT STOP!"

"Gideon! What's going on? We need help!" Sara yelled. Mick grabbed onto Len to keep him from hitting the floor.

"Bring Mr Snart to the Med Bay immediately," the AI urged them.

Snart was bent over in pain, not registering what was going on around him. He just knew he wanted the pain - wanted everything - to stop, and he resisted when Sara and Mick tried to help him. With one on each side, arms locked around him holding him up, they practically dragged Snart to the Med Bay. Mick sat him on the chair and held him down while Sara attached the medical cuff. He fought them, but slowly, his resistance gave way until he finally passed out from the drug Gideon was pumping into him.

"I was worried this would happen. It seems that seeing the brig, and perhaps the session we had earlier, triggered something in his mind and everything came back in full force," Gideon explained. "He may be beyond my help now."

"Don't say that," Sara cried. "You have to help him."

"I will do everything I can, Ms. Lance.

"What do we do now?" Mick asked, looking down on his friend.

"We let him rest, give him time to sort everything out. I suggest we have a talk with the captain and let him know what is going on."

* * *

"So what now, Gideon? How do we help him?" Rip asked.

"I will continue my research into traumatic stress treatment. I believe that Mr. Snart is strong and that given time, he can overcome the problems he has now. Our first session was successful. Perhaps we should consider another drug therapy session. If we go slow enough, and prove to him that he wasn't actually hurt, and that no one else was hurt through his actions, he may begin to accept this. I think that keeping him in Med Bay,for now, and under light sedation, will be to everyone's benefit. We could begin his therapy today. Anything else I can do for you, Captain?"

"No, thank you, Gideon. I will think about what you said."

* * *

Rip Hunter sat in his office with Leonard's closest friends on the ship, Mick and Sara. He wanted to share what Gideon had told him, and wanted their opinions.

"Mick, you know Mr. Snart the best. What do you think?"

"I know the first drug therapy session seemed to work. I say we try it."

"What do you think, Ms. Lance?"

"Len has changed since he first came on board. He was an arrogant ass, concerned only about himself and money. I don't think he would ever admit it, but I think he cares about the people here, the team. He needs to know Ethan's actions were not his. He could not control what Ethan did or said."

Gideon cut in. "If we can separate the two, in his mind, and prove to him Ethan's actions are not a reflection of him, it would greatly increase his chances of acceptance. Once he accepts that, he has a chance of recovery. I'm going to talk to Mr. Snart. I'm going to use the same drug as before. It did seem to help him relax enough that his mind stopped fighting back. I'm not sure if your being there, this time, would be a help or not. If you want to be there, perhaps just staying off to the side would be best."

"I would like to be there, just in case," Mick informed her.

"I would like to be there also," Sara agreed.

"Alright. Since we are in agreement, I will stop the sedative right away, and begin the other drug when it starts to wear off. Come down to the Med Bay in about an hour."

* * *

When Mick and Sarah walked in to the Med Bay, Gideon informed them that she was waiting for the therapy drug to take effect, when Snart started to stir.

"Mr. Snart is dreaming. I'm going to wait and see what he is dreaming about before I start our session."

 _DREAM_

 _He was back behind the wall. This time, the shape, the man, came through the wall towards him. He backed off a little, keeping a safe distance. When the shape stopped, it morphed into his face and his voice._

 _The man finally began to speak. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to talk."_

 _"About what? About what you did to me? About getting inside me and letting me think I was going crazy? Is that what you want to talk about?" It seemed really strange to be talking to himself. He had to turn away."_

 _"Let me make this easier. Let me show you what I really looked like and sounded like before the explosion." The "other" Snart slowly began to change, the features looking less and less like him, and more like someone else. "Is this easier? Can we talk now?"_

 _Snart watched in fascination, which turned to anger. "I thought you were gone. You're supposed to be gone. Why are you still here?"_

 _"I left this remnant of myself in you, so we could talk, if it became necessary. And it looks like it is. My name is Ethan. When we are done talking, you will never see or hear me again."_

 _"Is that a promise? I need to know. Why me?"_

 _"When we first merged, or should I say when I first got into your head, I was desperate. I needed a body and you were convenient. Bounty hunters were closing in on me, and I needed someone to hide in. I chose you because you came from the time ship. At first, I didn't care who it was, as long as I could get on the time ship and from there, back to my time. It was nothing personal."_

 _Snart gave a small hurt laugh. "Nothing personal? You were inside my head, you were in my private thoughts. Just how much more personal can you get?"_

 _"I needed to. I needed to be you. I needed to know all about you to make it believable to the others and convince them that I was serious. And I needed to know how to control you. At first it was hard. You are nothing, if not persistent."_

 _"So, what are we doing here? Snart asked. "Just what do you want with me?"_

 _"I am a thief, like you. Well, maybe not just like you, but I think you get the idea. I have been using people to get what I want. I get in, take over, get into their thoughts, and use those thoughts to get passwords, combinations, and even their bodies, to steal what I want. It was a good life."_

 _"Good for you. But I don't get where this is going."_

 _"I used you just like I used them. You may not believe this, but the more I knew you, the more I understood you. Those others deserved to be robbed. You've been through a lot in your life. Like I said, lots if issues. But I like you. You've changed in the time you've been here, But you don't like to admit it. You're a good man. Even the Flash said you had good in you."_

 _"Stop doing that. Stop quoting my memories. That's just downright eerie."_

 _Ethan chuckled at that. "You have good friends that are worried about you, you know. I'm sorry I hurt Sara, and later Mick. I need you to know that it wasn't you, it was me. You didn't do anything to anyone. It was all me. Some people have been known to go mad, but you're strong. You'll get through this."_

 _"Is this real? Or am I just dreaming?"_

 _"Yes and yes. You are dreaming and this is real. When you wake up, I hope you will realize that you are safe. I'll be gone, and the pain will be gone. It was put there to keep you from digging too deep, to keep me in control. Now it's not necessary. I really had to work with you. Most people are really easy to control, but you, you really fought back."_

 _"Is this like an apology or something? Cuz this really sucked. Do you have any idea what I went through?"_

 _"Actually I do. Being inside your thoughts, gave me an unique perspective. This is Not an apology exactly. I felt like I did what I had to do. I just want you to understand that you don't need to agonize over this anymore. Nothing more is going to happen."_

 _Ethan turned and started to walk away. "I'm leaving now. When you think back on whether Mick's saving you was a mistake or not, it's not. When you wake up, think about this talk. I've never done this for anyone before, so take advantage of it. And try not to be such an ass. It doesn't fit you anymore." Then he was gone._

* * *

Gideon observed the changes in Snart. "Mr. Snart is now sleeping peacefully. All his numbers have returned to normal. He doesn't seem to be under any stress or pain."

"What does that mean?" Asked Mick.

"I believe I will let him sleep. I will stop all medications and let it run it's course. If he wants to discuss his dream with you, I will leave that up to him. It is not my place to tell you. Perhaps it would be best if you talked to him later."

About an hour late, he woke and Gidean assured him that she did not discuss his dream with anyone.

"I don't know what to think. The pain is gone, that much I know. The rest, I'll have to think about. I just need some time." He started to leave the Med Bay, but turned around at the last minute. "I just want to say thank you, Gideon, for everything."

"It is my job to look after everyone on this ship."

"Well, thanks, anyway. I don't think I could have done this without you."

"You're welcome, Mr. Snart. Please remember I am still here if you need to talk."

He smirked. "Just as long as you stop asking me about about my feelings, I'll consider it."

* * *

He went back to his room, and sat at his desk. His notebook was still there. He slowly opened it and scanned some of the entries he had made. He grabbed the book and threw it across the room. It still irked him that there was someone, something, out there that knew his very private thoughts.

Suddenly the override on his door took over and it opened. He was surprised to see Mick on the other side.

"I was just practicing, making sure I still knew how," Mick said apologizing.

"I was going to come see you. I just didn't know how to . . ." Len was apologizing also.

"It's okay. I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"It's not okay. I just wanted to get my thoughts together before I talked to you. I guess now is as good a time as any." Len sat on his bed and Mick sat at his desk.

"A lot of stuff went down. I'm still sifting through it all, but I wanted to say thank you. And not just for the last ten days, for all of it. When I was young and tried to . .you know . . " He stopped. He hoped Mick knew what he was talking about his suicide attempt, because he really was having a hard time saying it out loud.

"Ya, I know. You apologized then too. Look, it's over and done. You're never going to do anything that stupid again, at least I hope not." He headed out the door. "I may not be there to save your ass."

He laid on his bed for quite a while, thinking, wondering. After a while, he thought he might feel better after a shower. He headed for his small bathroom, then he heard a knock at his door. He really didn't want to see anyone right now. He didn't answer. The caller was persistent and knocked again.

"I'm really not in the mood," he yelled through the door.

"Not even for me?" Sara asked.

Reluctantly, he opened the door, standing in the doorway. "I don't think this is a good time."

She pushed past him and entered his room. She was carrying two glasses and a couple of bottles of vodka.

"As much as I would like to, and trust me, I probably need to -" He watched Sara sit down on his bed, cards in hand.

"Good. You shuffle, I'll pour, and don't be adding any more cards to the deck."

After a few games, several drinks, and lots of small talk, Sara decided to see if he would open up.

"So, you want to talk about anything? Anything from this afternoon, maybe?"

"Nope."

"Alright, mind if I do?" She didn't wait for him to answer. "I want you to know that I, Mick and I, are glad you're . . .doing better."

"So am I. The headaches are gone."

It wasn't much, but it was a start. "What about the flashes?"

I don't think there will be anymore. I think it's done."

She wasn't sure if she was pushing or not, but her mouth was going faster then her brain. "Just how much do you remember of all of this? Do you remember what happened when Ethan was in control?"

"For a while, I only knew bits and pieces. Now I think I know most of it. Why?"

The alcohol made Sara say something she normally wouldn't. She wanted to bring up the suicide attempt, but didn't know how. "Ethan told us something, and I was just trying to find out if you, maybe, remember him telling us."

"I'm still trying to put things together, but, if it's what I think it is, I haven't had enough alcohol to discuss it." He laid his cards down and walked towards the door.

"Do you remember what I said?" Sara asked.

"No, I think I was pretty out of it." He couldn't look her in the face. "I'm not proud of it. At the time, it seemed like the only solution. I don't know what I would have done without Mick." He took a deep breath before he continued. "I never told anyone. It was private. I wish Ethan had left it that way."

"You seem to be . . I don't know . . calmer than you were. You were really stressed out. How are you handling things?"

He turned and looked at her. "Better . . .I'm better. I'm still a little stressed, but not as much as before. Something happened this afternoon in the Med Bay. Maybe I'll tell you about it sometime. I still have a few things to work out, but I'll handle it."

"Like you always handle it? Alone? You don't have to, you know."

"I know. Thanks, but not just yet. Now I have a question. Was there ever a time, at the beginning, when you thought I was . . . not me?"

Sara thought about it for a second. "Absolutely. When we were sparring and you were winning. That would never happen."

He gave her an actual half smile. "Took that long, huh?"

"Well, he was good. Then I knew for sure when he came to my room and tried to get me to fly the ship."

Leonard winced at that. He knew it wasn't him, but he couldn't stop himself. "I'm really sorry about that. You know I would never . . ."

"I know. Like it or not, deep down, you're a good man."

"Someone else told me that."

"Then stop acting like an ass, and deal the cards."

 **I hope everyone enjoyed reading this. It was a lot harder to write than my first one. Please leave me a review so I know how I'm doing. I really appreciate the encouragement I have received.**


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